Elven Blood
by IlliteracyApproves
Summary: Sylvyaess Tywyll is a traumatized young elf who has witnessed the worst of the human onslaught against her people. Her burning hatred towards them has unlocked something darker in her. A forbidden power she has to master in order to survive herself but also protect the ones she loves. (Set a few decades after the human arrival)(Witcher x Elf)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well hello there, welcome to Elven Blood! I have tried my hand at the Witcher before but the idea I had for that story simply felt better if developed from the start sooo here I am.**

**I think the elves never got enough love in the books and games (if any) so I decided to write my own story based around an elven protagonist just a few decades after the human landings. As the elves are not completely explored in the witcher I will have to build up the gross of the elven culture and stuff around them myself so bear with me!**

**I would love a review here and there if you guys have feedback for me or ideas/questions! Let me know what you think! ;)**

**Update: I changed the perspective from first to third person and corrected a few minor details. Let me know what you think of that change!**

**Chapter 1**

The spring flowers are in full bloom illuminated by the light of the afternoon sun as a young elven woman with long dark hair and grey, almost black eyes hums softly while entering an elven village called Gweynloch seated inside de forest between the Pontar and Dypkar rivers.

The young elf, clothed in a flowery red dress, has a basket of mushrooms and herbs securely held beneath her left arm. People greet her with wide smiles as she passes by.

Her name is Sylvyaess Tywyll. The oldest daughter of the mayor of Gweynloch. A well loved and very sought after young woman who unlike her two younger sisters hasn't given marriage any thought yet.

Her younger sister Vysla Tywyll married two years ago to a mage called Rhonin Haulcoron. He came from Gwynnastyr - the city of the white towers to the south and has taken her sister with him, recently two beautiful young baby boys had been born to the delight of the whole family.

Her youngest sister - Veressa Tywyll had not been as lucky however, while she danced around the boys of the village no one really really stood out to her untill now and in the meantime she had a change of heart and started focussing on the arts of alchemy, especially healing alchemy. Recently she had gotten an invitation from the school of alchemy in Gwynnastyr to further develop her abilities.

The Tywyll sisters all have the family trait of dark hair and the rare trait of beautiful dark almost black eyes. A trait wich is even found in the family name Tywyll, wich means 'Dark' in elder speach. Their father always said it had more to do with an ancester who was executed a few centuries ago after going insane from the use of necromancy but the sisters always laughed it away as a bedtime story to make them behave when they were small, furthermore there were barely any family members who ever had any significant magical traits only her aunt, the duchess of Saviean is a mage but she married into the family.

Sylvyaess had always been a sight in the village with her, even for an elf, tall and proud posture. As the oldest of the major's daughters she had to be the embodiment of a true elven aristocrat, a role she bloomed in and enjoyed with all her heart. But that is not the only reason people smiled at her and greeted her. Around the village she has always been known as a kind and helpful young elf who could always bring a smile to even the most gloom situations.

Her herbs still secure under her arm Sylvyaess - also called Sylvi by her family and friends greets the neighbour with a smile as she is doing the laundry. Reaching the largest house in the village, her home. She spots her mother Gwennead doing the same next to her beautiful flower beds filled with blooming spring flowers. She looks up from her work and smiles at her oldest daughter. "You have been gathering herbs for your sister again haven't you?"

"Of course mother, Vera needs her training material to prepare for the big day next month!" Her oldest daughter responds thinking about her little sister who has been working hard day and night in preparation of leaving for Gwynnastyr the next month.

"And you forgot your loving old mother?" She responds in a mock-hurt voice. Straightening her back exposing her tall figure, hands on her hips.

Sylvi smirks. Looking at her mother who is almost a copy of herself, only older with an odd wrinkle here and there and with long brown hair and contrasting green eyes. "How could I forget you mother!?" "She responds grinning - showing her basket wich has besides different types of herbs a bundle of red mushrooms.

Her eyes grow wide. "I didn't know cockatriceshrooms were already that big in this time of year. Where did you find them?"

"found them in the caves to the east while I was looking for a few mushrooms for Vera, I guess I got lucky spotting them in a small side cavern while leaving." Sylvyaess responds, shouldering her basket again, inwardly smiling at surprising her mother.

"Well let's get them inside shall we?" Mom responds finishing the last of the linen and shouldering her laundry basket. "You know how long those mushrooms have to cook before they get tasty."

"Of course mother." Sylvi grins swirling around and taking the lead towards the side door. She arches her brow a little as she spots a large brown stallion laden with heavy saddlebags and furs. The horse looks up for a second from eating grass as she opens the door but continues eating as it looses interest.

Back inside Sylvyaess helps her mother with the preparations for dinner. Groaning She lifts the heavy iron pot over the large fireplace in the middle of her mother's spacious kitchen before filling it with water. Concentrating hard and extending her hand small sparks form in the fire place setting the wood alight, making her smile in triumph.

Sylvyaess's parents have always told her that she should attend Vintrica in the Blue Mountains, a renounced school of magic. Rhonin studied there and told her all about it in the times he visited their home. Before sneaking off with her sister of course, but that is besides the point, Sylvi's mother would always roll her eyes at her when that happend. Getting an eye roll and a smirk in return from Sylvyeass because she knew her parents used to do very similair things in the past.

But in the end she always laughed it away. It simply takes an extreme amount of effort from her part to do anything with magic. As she saw Rhonin create portals to their house she always stared in awe. Knowing she could never do something like that. Sylvyaess told everyone she is simply not talented enough to become a real mage and they accepted it after a while.

Finishing the preparations with her mother she picks up her basket again and walks over to her sister's room on the first floor. Sylvyaess sneaks in, a small smile covering her lips as she looks at the mess in front of her.

Her youngest sister is sitting on the floor carefully trying to scrape shards of glass together with her bare hands. A dark purple liquid covers the floor around the broken vial.

She wears a light green dress, a golden hoop hangs from her left ear. Suddenly she curses as she cuts her hand on one of the glass shards.

"Need help with that?" Sylvi says raising an eyebrow.

Veressa spins around in her sitting position, surprise in her dark grey eyes, and jumps up hugging her sister tightly. Trying very hard not to ruin the dress by smearing blood all over it. "Sylvi!" She squirms, finally releasing her sister to breath, but before Sylvyaess can greet her back she has snagged the basket from her arm and has started inspecting its contents.

"Very good, very good." She mutters walking over to her small 'laborotry' as she calls it, wich is nothing more than a collection of vials and a small copper set used for brewing concoctions.

"No thank you for your big sister?" Sylvyaess remarks clutching her chest mock-hurt.

She sighs, turns around and performs a very exaggerated bow. "I thank you o great sister, may the gods be with you, may you find fortune, etcetera, etcetera."

Sylvyaess bursts out laughing, barely containing her tears as she walks out of her sister's doorway before something pops up in her head. "I want that basket back in one piece." referring to an incident a few weeks ago where she managed to break my last basket after stumbling over it after a long night of experimenting.

Sylvi hears a groan from the open door as she walks away into her own room making her laugh even harder, tears flowing over her bangs while she tries to contain them.

Wiping them away she looks around her own room, a cozy bed under the window, a large wardrobe and a vanity table on the other side and a wall with her bows, mostly old ones she used in the past but also her favorite bow right now.

Because Sylvyaess never looked into becoming a real mage she learned hunting from her father. It took a decade or two but she has developed into a very decent hunter. She feels the smooth wood under her fingers as she takes her bow, it is a darkwood bow made from wood from the foot of the Dragon Mountains. Runes are etched into it to improve it, a small enchantment Sylvyaess learned herself a few months back.

She puts it on the wall again, murmering to herself that she should go hunting tonight. Sylvi goes back downstairs after that, knowing that dinner will be ready soon as she smells the delicious cockatriceshrooms in the hallway.

She goes over to her father's office to warn him it is almost time for dinner. As she walks through the doorway of his office she is greeted by the sight of her father and a large man, a head taller than her, covered in heavy armor and fur pelts with two swords strapped to his back.

"Ah Sylvyaess, back from the forest. You managed to help your sister?" Sylvi's father, Erin Tywyll, speaks up.

"Yes got everything she needs father." Sylvyaess responds absentmindly, looking at the huge man in front of her.

_Witcher_. Goes through her head as the man, who has obviously heard her voice and footsteps, turns his head and looks at Sylvyaess with his green catlike eyes. He has a scruffy beard and brown hair. A scar covers his jaw and splits his lip reaching the side of his nose. A medallion with a bear baring its fangs hangs around his neck.

He keeps his penetrating gaze on the young elf but she look straight back into his eyes and tilts her chin up. She won't let myself be intimidated by a mere witcher.

"You are her for the leshen in the Westwoods aren't you?" Sylvyaess asks him, still not breaking his gaze.

"I am." He responds in elder speach with a thick accent she has never heared before.

Sylvi tilts her head slightly. "You are not from these parts." she remarks.

A small smile forms on his lips, well rather a grimace. "I am from the skellige isles, far far away."

Sylvyaess has heared of those islands once from a travelling bard but that was years ago and she has always thought it was just a stupid story to write a song about.

"You know, if you hadn't shown up I would have probaly taken care of the fiend myself."

Now his grimace turns into a mocking smile. "Well if you can stand fighting a crazed tree while wolfs and other forest dwellers try to rip you limb from limb be my guest."

Sylvyaess glares at him and he glares straight back until her father clears his throat and the witcher comes to his senses, breaking her gaze and turning towards the young elf's father. "I will set off now to deal with the monster mayor Tywyll, you will hear of me shortly."

Sylvi's father nods approvingly at him and the witcher makes to leave. The elf and the witcher glare at each other, as Sylvyaess is still half in the doorway and doesn't step aside he has to squeeze his way past her brushing along her, the smell of dried blood and wildflowers suddenly assaulting her senses making Sylvi shiver against him.

He gives Sylvyaess a last grin before he departs.

Sylvyaess turns back to her father. He looks deep in though standing tall behind his full desk. He moves his hands through his dark with a few specks of grey hair.

"Couldn't we have taken that leshen out with a few towns gaurds father?" Sylvi asks looking at the wrinkles on his face.

"It would have been too costly." He responds rubbing his temple. "And besides the point this witcher is a decent lad, he will manage it just fine."

She snorts at 'decent lad' but Sylvyaess composes herself. "Dinner is almost ready father, we shouldn't keep mother waiting."

Sylvi enters the kitchen again seeing a table full of delicious food, her mouth waters at the sight and she takes a seat just before her father and sister show up. The smell of cooked venison and mushrooms enters her nostrills.

Dinner with the family has always been a real happening at Sylvi's home. Her mother is a great cook and managed to teach her a thing or two and her father would always tell the strangest stories he heared from merchants and the townsfolk. That while Sylvyaess and her sisters would joke around about each others lifes.

Digging in Sylvi compliments her mother for her excellent cooking. After eating her fill in record time she asks her father about his day. His face turns grim as he looks up from his venison. "There was another incursion at the Pontar today."

Before Sylvyaess can respond Veressa speaks up, disbelief in her voice. "But that is like the third time this week! What are those humans thinking?"

"They think this land with our riches should be theirs as their numbers grow while ours stagnate." Her father responds.

"What happend this time?" Sylvyaess interjects.

Father sighs, looking a few years older. "So called 'Aedernians' crossed the pontar with wagons full of building materials and woman and children to settle these lands, just like before the great truce. The problem this time however was they were gaurded by a Keadweni escort."

"Keadweni soldiers? They really want those people off their lands... What happend next?"

"After a fair warning, one they ignored. Our border gaurds started picking off the escorting soldiers. The caravan surrendered after their leader had been mortally wounded, we disarmed them and escorted them back over the pontar, their wagons however were looted and burned at the banks of the river as a reminder." Sylvi's father finishes his tale.

Sylvyaess contemplates for a minute.

But her sister asks the next question before she can. "How many where there father?"

"Around two-hundred he responds, with thirty wagons."

Sylvyaess whistles between her lips. "They are getting more determined."

"Yes, and more numerous." Her father responds gloomily.

"Are the human kings not keeping them in check as written in the truce?"

"These people are not under any king, they just want to get away from the north and the only way they can go is south into our lands."

"Erin, enough politics for one night, we will not talk about this again today." Mother chimes in bringing the conversation to a halt but the damage has already been done. Sylvyaess and the rest of the family are quiet for the rest of dinner not knowing the danger that lurked outside.

Gweynloch was by no means a strategic town, the surrounding area is covered in thick woods while the road that once led towards the Pontar has overgrown after the retreating elves destroyed the bridge connecting it to the other side during the human invasion of the north. The road to the south is the only good connection to Gweynloch.

Because of the lack of any strategic importance other than a wood supplier for the south Gweynloch never had any defences build around it to defend it. Protection is provided by a few gaurds and a fence to keep willife about.

The problem with that is that strategy is that the humans do not care about strategic importance as the south is simply a way for a new beginning for the poor, away from the lack of lands and resources in the north.

So they crossed the Pontar that night in silence. Supported by a few Keadweni knights and footmen the armed peasants traversed the tricky woods and came closer to the lights of the town under the cover of a moonless night.

Sylvyaess didn't know of any danger however as shr changed into a grey tunic with green leafs embroidered onto it and grabbed her bow and a quiver full of arrows ready to hunt that night.

She smiled as she walked past the open door of her sister's room and saw her sleeping peacefully on her desk.

Personally Sylvyaess has always loved hunting in the dark, everything just becomes so different during nighttime, a simple tree during daylight can become a monster in the night.

As she traverses the jungle towards her hunting grounds in the north it feels _wrong_ like there is something she is missing. Sylvyaess listens closely to the sounds in the woods. It is far to quiet. It could be a predator, that would be the most logical explanation so she crouches down further and looks around.

She feels a typical spring chill come over her making Sylvyaess shiver. Ignoring it as best as she can Sylvi pierces the night with her gaze.

Something moves to her left and Sylvyaess immidiately draws an arrow.

She spots a crouch-walking figure. Sylvyaess trains her arrow on it ready to ask for a name but then she spots another figure behind it and another one and a faint silhouet of someone on horseback.

This is bad. It goes through her head. They have rounded ears. Humans, lots of them.

Sylvyaess prepares to stalk away as suddenly hears a silent gasp in front of her. Quickly she points her arrow towards the sound. Her heart thumping in her chest. It is a woman clothed in scraps, armed with a meatcleaver. As Sylvyaess looses her arrow the woman releases a half scream that gets cut off by the arrow piercing her jugular.

Sylvyaess stares in shock at what she did, crimson blood spurts out of the woman's neck next to the arrowshaft, her body still trembles but her eyes are hollow.

Sylvyaess's body is flooded by a numb feeling.

A cry close to her shocks her back into reality and she backs away towards the village through the undergrowth.

But she has already been spotted and hears them charging after her. Breaking out in a run trembling on her legs and oblivious to the world around her Sylvyaess simply runs.

Sylvyaess's longer legs and better night vision give her an advantage but the humans are determined. An arrow barely misses her head and she hears shouting behind her getting closer and closer.

Suddenly the fence and the lights of the village appear as she breaks through the treeline.

Two stunned gaurds lift up their torches as Sylvyaess runs straight at them, completely out of breath. She come to a stop forcing herself to choke out a few words. "Humans... Lots of them... Raise... Alarm!"

The gaurd closest to her tries to help Sylvyaess to stay upright but she ignores him and snatches the horn from his belt before forcing all the remaining air she has left through it. The sound pierces the night.

Behind her humans break through the treeline igniting torches as they go. Sylvi gasps eyes wide as she sees the sheer number of them as they shout battlecries.

The gaurds grab thier swords but Sylvyaess has already taken off deeper into the village, lights are ignited in the houses around her as elves, mostly in nightdress run outside in confusion.

Sylvi breaks through a group of them spotting her own house with her parents and sister out front, her father has his curved blade in his hand.

"Sylvyaess what is happening out there?!" He shouts at her. Sylvyaess reaches them, collapsing against her mother and sister.

They hold her up as tears stream down her eyes. "Humans father... So many of them." Sylvyaess manages to mouth out.

Her father stares in silence, determination in his eyes. "Gwen get our daughters out of here."

Sylvyaess's mother complies with a nod trying to guide her shaken sister and oldest daughter with her but Sylvyaess breaks free and runs back towards her father as she nocks an arrow.

"Sylvi get over here!" Her mother shouts franticly.

"Mother I will stay to protect our ho... NO MOTHER!" Sylvyaess's sentence turns into a scream of terror as her mother suddenly gets pierced by an arrow through her chest.

She runs back clasping her mothers falling body into her arms together with her sister but Sylvyaess doesn't notice her as she is too focussed on her dying nother. "No no no..." She murmers into her mother's neck as the light slowly leaves her eyes, a weak hand brushes past Sylvyaess's cheek. "Stay... Strong..." She whispers to her. A cold feeling suddenly falls over Sylvi as her mother dies in her arms, the light finally leaving her eyes. Pain floods her system as she murmurs incoherent words into her mother's still warm neck. Sylvyaess doesn't feel her sister's teardrops falling on her skin as she is simply to numb to react.

The numbness turns to more pain, but Sylvyaess has a bright moment and hoists up her sister who fights back as she tries to hold on to their mother.

"Vera. Look at me!" Sylvyaess shouts at her sister, both their eyes full of tears. She grabs her chin forcing her to look up at her. "Run sister and don't look back!"

Her eyes darkened by tears look back at Sylvyaess, full of pain.

She doesn't react.

"NOW!" Sylvyaess shouts even harder.

It takes a second. Than Veressa turns. And runs as fast as her legs can carry her towards the other side of the town.

Sylvyaess forces herself to grab her bow and not look back at her mother's body. Turning around towards the battle she finds herself looking at a slaughter.

Already a few village houses are burning as the few remaining gaurds and villagers led by Sylvi's father try to hold off the waves of humans. Sylvyaess joins them. Nocking arrow after arrow time seems to stop around her. She doesn't care anymore as they struck human after human. She doesn't feel anything, for Sylvyaess they are nothing more than animals. Animals that need to be slaughtered.

Her father and the gaurds keep resisting to give the others time to escape, but they are losing, being overrun by their sheer numbers. Suddenly it is over as a Keadweni knight flanks us and rides down Sylvyaess's father cutting his throat.

A crimson line floods along his neck and mouth. Sylvyaess releases a wail of pain, as she shoots an arrow between the plates of his armor killing him.

Falling to her knees, her wail pierces the night sky. she doesn't know she is the last elf left, the humans advance on her but Sylvyaess doesn't see them.

Something snaps inside of the young elf. The pain turns to anger. A burning hate. A Dark power floods over her and unbeknowest to Sylvyaess she channels it.

Through her tears Sylvyaess sees her fathers body stir and not only his, the bodies of the fallen around her as well and her mothers body. The humans around her look in confusion and fear at what is happening.

The risen bodies, fed by the pain hatred from Sylvyaess, suddenly start attacking everyone around them tearing them apart where they stand, a knight cuts off an arm of one of his dead companions but it doesn't matter. The dead do not feel as it rips the horse of the knight apart with his other hand.

screams fill the air as the few remaining humans run for cover in the woods as dead is on their heels.

Sylvyaess looks up, spotting the wicked dead and twisted trees and plants in the area around her as she has drained all life force from them in her hatred, the dead stand around her. The young elf looks up through her tears at the empty unseeing eyes of her parents. Her heart burning inside her chest. As suddenly as it came over her all the unnatural energy leaves Sylvyaess and the risen bodies fall as puppets whose strings have been cut.

Releasing a silent scream as her last energy leaves her she falls down, arm outstrectched towards where her parents fell before crumpling up into a small ball of dispair.

Alone in a corrupted forest, the dead littered arround her, darkness claims Sylvyaess at last.

\--

**Well that was the first chapter! Let me know what you guys think!**

**Second chapter will be following soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: ****Well back it again! I know I know it took a bit but well life really got in the way the last few weeks so I barely had any time to write but I am back! Plans have been made for this story and I will have a lovely amount of content coming up ;)**

**Btw didn't have a disclaimer so here it is: I don't own anything Witcher related just my OC's, settings and all that good stuff and even that can be copy pasted so ehhh.**

**But enough shenanigens, please let me know if you have any feedback/idea's or just want to chat! I thank my first few followers and first like on this story I love you! So here is it:**

**Chapter 2**

Glenn of Hearn Caduch is slowly making his way back towards the elven village he got his latest contract from. Gweynlok? Gweylock? How was it called again? He was not sure, not like it really matters.

A fresh leshen head hangs from his horse, the sticky green substance that could pass for blood hasn't dried yet. It was quite a fight especially during nighttime, the leshen was old and very very angry with him - forcing the witcher, who noticed the leshen managed to set its mark, out of the woods.

After that little revelation Glenn searched along the Dypkar river for someone we could have been marked.

He found the old human female in a hidden hut just a bit inland. He was surprised the elves hadn't gotten her first but that had probaly more to do with the leshen. With a strangely heavy heart he cut down the defenceless woman, it was that or being murdered by an elf so he thought it would be the lesser evil.

After that he ventured back into the woods to kill the even more enraged leshen. He managed it in the end but not after receiving a few bruised ribs, an open gash on his neck and two broken fingers.

Especially his fingers are an annoyance forcing the witcher to curse once in a while as he leeds his horse through the forest. Glenn's left hand is his steering hand and well holding the reins in a hand with broken fingers is not the most pleasant experience.

But of course the bear witcher is too stubborn to use his right hand. He keeps himself off the roads, being a bear he is more of a loner than most. His horse is the only company he needs. Well Glenn needs to admit that dark-haired elven woman from the village. Sylvyaess was her name? Has come across his thoughts more than once during this contract. It is his eleventh season on The Path and like all men the witcher has stared after a few woman but never one as striking as this elf. He felt some sort of strange connection as he brushed past her, something he has never felt before but feels familiar all the same.

A small smirk covers his face. Well atleast it is far better than his last five seasons in wich he went to Skellige, and he needs to admit, plump and simple woman never were his taste.

However this woman has peaked the rough witcher's interest. She has a bite with a fire in her dark shiny eyes wich is unrivalled until now and is quite pleasing to the eyes with those slender hips and rounded curves hugged by the fabric of her red dress and of course that powerful demanding posture. That moment he brushed past her she shivered against him... He would almost stay a night in that town.

There is work to do however, the season has just started and monsters have come out of hiding again. The witcher wants to make use of every second available to him. To start with obtaining the reward on the leshen from the mayor who has offered an above average price for a leshen head. A nice change after the depressing rate last year on forest-dwelling monsters.

While contemplating Glenn has almost reached the town, the sun is aleady past its zenith and he doesn't want to loose more daylight before travelling south.

Suddenly a burning smell enters his nostrils, the smell of charred meat. _That isn't right_. Goes through his head. Glenn has smelled something similair in the past back on Ard Skellig, bringing back bad memories from his childhood but he shrugs it off.

Sending his horse into a gallop the witcher rides closer to the town and abruptly reign her in again.

"What the..." Glenn mutters staring up at the trees, they are twisted in strange ways and have gone from the vibrant green yesterday to a charcoal black, most of the leaves have fallen off. They are dead and deformed, just like all the plants around him.

As he rides into the town it is like a wasteland, burned buildings and corpses all around him. Both human and elven... Ofcourse he has seen racial hatred before but never at this scale, furthermore it still doesn't explain all the life that seems like it has been drained from the area.

After dismounting Glenn crouches down next to his horse taking a handfull of the dirt under his feet. It is like dust between his fingers as it gets blown out by the wind. Looking around he notices a vague pattern. The bodies of the elves lay almost in a half circle in the middle of the town where they had their last stand but there are also faint lines in the dirt conversing to a spot behind the half moon of corpses.

The witcher steps over the bodies strewn around, spotting a body curled up in the middle of the circle. He steps closer spotting her dark hair. Well, almost dark small strands of silver have sprung up between her dark tresses. It's the mayor's daughter... A sigh leaves his lips, such a waste for a woman like that to die.

Then he notices something about the body just as he is about to leave. Her side weakly rises. Glenn removes his glove and puts his hand on her neck, he feels a small trum of her heartbeat beneath his caloused fingers, the muscles under her green tunic convulse under his touch like rejecting him.

Surprise covers Glenn's features.

"Shhh." he murmurs. "It will be allright." The witcher tries to turn the elven woman around slowly. As his hand turns her face towards him her dark eyes suddenly open wide. Glenn can see an immense raw pain in those dark orbs but before he can react tears fill them and she releases an ear piercing cry, attacking the witcher clawing at his chain armor like a cornered animal, trying to push the witcher away with hand and feet.

Glenn can barely contain her. He manages to pin her legs with his weight. A sudden headbutt breaks his nose with a crack as he suddenly feels blood spurting out of it. "Easy damned woman!" He shouts wich only makes her fight harder against him. The witcher manages to grab her wrists and trap them between them with one arm. She still hasn't stopped screaming so he puts his left exposed hand over her mouth. Suddenly she bites into one of his broken fingers making him cry out in pain quickly pulling back his hand and supressing the urge to backhand her as that will probaly make her even harder to handle.

Glenn breaths heavily but she has it far worse, finally running out of breath she stops screaming and the witcher finally manages to pin her tightly against the ground she stops struggling as her fight suddenly evaporates.

Weak sobs enter Glenn's ears, a broken sound. As a witcher they always said he was stripped of emotions but he felt this raw pain.

"Shhh shhh you're allright, you're safe." He whispers while looking into those dark orbs of her trying to comfort the trembling elven woman below him.

She quietes down still staring straight at him. Glenn slowly tilts his head to the left. Her eyes stare straight ahead not following his movement.

He makes a clacking sound with his tongue. The young elf jerks her head towards the sound and her eyes narrow as she focusses on Glenn. Slowly he moves his head to the right, the elf follows his movement with her eyes. "Good girl." he mutters. "I am going to help you up okey?" She nods barely percebtable.

Slowly to not startle her Glenn removes his weight from her legs and grabs her wrists. Those dark - tearstained eyes of her follow every move he makes. Her breath hitches a little in panic as he grasps her wrists firmly. The witcher gently pulls her up until she is standing on her own shaky legs, she reaches to just under his own jaw and looks up at Glenn, her disheveled thick hair framing her pale face. Then she suddenly stumbles with a yelp against his chest.

In reflex the witcher grabs her firmly. The quick movement startles the young elf who suddenly starts screaming again and writting in his arms like a madwoman.

"O really woman." Glenn curses a few times, his heart sinking a little at having to restrain the griefing elf. But there is no other choice in getting her back in control. He whistles, his stallion immidiately responds to its rider's call.

The horse's proximity and movement attracts the screaming woman who snaps her head towards it and stops. The witcher feels her trembling hand slowly breaking free from his death's embrace and watches in surprise as she softly pets the horses snout, making the horse whinny softly.

Glenn watches in amazement as the woman starts mumbling soft elder speach to the horse. Completely transfixed by the horses calm demeanor. "What does he have what I don't..." But besides that Glenn is glad _something_ could get this woman quiet.

"I am going to get you onto the horse okay?" Glenn locks eyes with her and for a moment she almost looks lucid as she nods weakly in reply.

Softly the witcher hoists her up onto the horse taking care not to startle her with frantic movements. He isn't sure why he is actually helping her but it feels like the good thing to do for the poor girl. For a second he turns around and rips a piece of fabric from a nearby corpse to stiffle his still bleeding nose before returning to his horse and his unlikely passenger picking up the bow and the quiver full of arrows she dropped in her frantic trashing, securing them to his saddlebags. With a grunt he mounts his horse behind her protectively swinging an arm around her slender waste to secure her as she is still too far gone to hold on on her own.

With a clack of his tongue the horse continues its path towards the road leading south, the next stop will be the elven palace called Lyriass in the duchy of Ysbryd before Glenn will try his luck in Gwynnastyr itself.

\--

They have travelled along the deserted road well into the dawn. The witcher has found fallen belongings of the refugees who have lost them in their flight south, with a bit of luck he can reunite the sleeping elf against his chest with her kin.

She has kept quiet for most of the journey, mostly sleeping. During her sleep however Glenn has more than once been hit by a sudden jerk of her shoulders and soft sobbing or sometimes even shouting in her dreams. Right now she is panting heavily. He murmers in her pointed ear slowly massaging her waist, ready to catch her in case she suddenly moves. A pain shoots through his jaw as she suddenly sits up straight wide awake and rams her head upwards.

The witcher curses softly massaging his jaw. Sylvyaess turns around. Her eyes narrow as her shoulders visible tense, her lips part. Glenn seeing the danger quickly speaks. "Heyhey easy woman look at me, not human, same witcher as before."

She looks ready to start screaming again as she grabs the arm around her waist, nails biting into the leather. Her dark eyes focus on his own catlike eyes.

Slowly she releases her grip, whispering something in rapid elder speach about home and... Where they are? Glenn is not sure. "I am taking you to safety it is allright, we will find the other elfs soon enough.

"...Where... Where is my... Sister?" She chokes out softly diverting her eyes back down fiddeling with her hunting dress.

Surprise covers the witcher's features as this is the first thing she has said anything to him since he found her in the abandoned village. "A pretty one like you? Haven't found one of those along the corpses."

"Corpses..." She mutters at his choice of words, realisation hits her as her eyes widen, suddenly she starts crying again. Tears staining her dress in various places. The witcher sighs, letting the woman cry against his chest, the mournful sound echoing through the forest around them.

An hour later she is asleep against his chest her hands buried beneath his coat. The sun has completely set, the light of the moon shining through the trees as he reaches a small clearing. He dismounts, carying the sleeping woman carefully in his arms, placing her in a comfortable position onto a bed of moss, his cloak tightly woven around her. "Just stay right here." He whispers before leaving the clearing to get some firewood. Half an hour later a small fire burns merilly in a crude firepit. With a sigh Glenn sets himself down onto a log stretching his stiff muscles. The day hasn't exactly gone as planned but well, it rarely does in a witcher's life, one day your the hero of a town and the next day they try to feed you to their dogs... Absentmindly he chews on a piece of dried meat. After a bit he lays next to the fire falling into a dreamless sleep.

\--

Sylvyaess is woken up by the creaking of a branch, she is covered in something warm and heavy but her back is stiff from the solid ground under her. She worms her arms free from the fabric and stretches out. Her dry throat feels like treebark. Opening her eyes she looks around the clearing, the green grass is illuminated by the morning sun. A charred pile lays in the middle. Her attention is drawn to a loud snoring coming from a pile of furs at the other side of the campfire.

Her eyes narrow as she looks at the witcher. It is fussy in her head at what happend yesterday but she is quite sure the witcher took her away from her village. _My village_ she feels tears welling up at the thought, seeing the bodies of her parents standing up. Tears start forming in her eyes but suddenly her eyes are drawn to a sound of a creaking branch somewhere behind the witcher. Her eyes widen as she spots three figures in ragged clothing coming towards the witcher. Hastily she tries to scream but her throat only hurts painfully in protest.

She looks around finding a rock, with a shaking hand she trows it at the snoring witcher and hits him straight on the head.

In a single motion the witcher jumps to his feet, his hand finding the wicked dagger on his belt as he looks around like a predator spotting the three humans stop in their tracks at the edge of the clearing.

"What do you want." He speaks up, annoyance lining his deep voice. "I hope you have a good reason to wake me up."

The youngest of the group steps forward, his drawn sword gleaming in the eerly sunlight. "We have come to make a retrieval." He points to Sylvyaess.

Her heart pounds in her chest.

"Not sure she is your problem, move along _boy_." The witcher responds not amused, still clutching the hilt of his dagger.

"O she is, an elven head is worth quite a bit these days. Everyone has to make a living. I am sure you know the feeling. And besides if you don't move we will have a problem. Mutant.

The witcher straights up towering over the humans. "Please." He snorts

Suddenly the human jumps forward trying to impale the witcher.

But the witcher moves like a blurr, before his opponent can react he has kicked out at his knee breaking it with a sickening crack, forcing the young male down with a knife at his throat.

"Last warning." The witcher speaks up, his menaching voice making the hairs on Sylvyaess's arms stand up.

She wants to shout as the man to the right of the witcher tries to cleave him in two but the witcher quickly brings up his dagger blocking the strike. With cold efficiency he ducks unders the man's weapon and stabs him through the abdomen making him shriek out in pain. Letting go of his dagger her grabs the man's head in both hands and cuts of the pained sound, breaking his neck in a smooth motion.

The third male jumps forward after his friend's demise lunging at the unarmed witcher with a downward strike. He catches the wrists of the man and suddenly forces the weapon down cutting a long gash through the man's chest, prying the blade from his grasp. Without a second look he spins around and beheads the human. His head rolling on the ground.

"Stubborn..." He mutters loud enough for Sylvyaess to hear. Dropping the sword he walks over to the first attacker who is on his knees, one of them curved into a strange direction. Lashing out with the sword he has still clutched in his hand a grating sound enters Sylvyaess's ears as the witcher catches the blade in his armored gauntlet and pries the weapon free, trowing it into the forest.

"Why are you protecting the elven bitch?!" He shouts through his pain, glaring up at the witcher.

The bear witcher crouches down coming to eye level with the human male. "For starters your kind kinda robbed me of my pay." He looks back at the elf." secondly she is pretty, unlike you."

Sylvyaess almost smiles at the compliment giving a small nod of appreciation but her lips are quickly pulled back into a scowl. As she hears the witcher wish the human luck before he starts looting his friends.

The male stares hatingly at Sylvyaess.

Anger wells up inside her at seeing the hunan, quickly standing up from her make-shift bed the spots her bow strapped to the horse's saddlebag. Stalking towards the horse she unfastens the bow and draws and arrow.

"ELVEN WHORE." The human shouts before Sylvyaess shoots an arrow between his eyes. Her own widen in glee as the anger inside her makes a summersault with a grin she fires another arrow into the corpse, and another, and another. Before she is ripped out of her frenzy by the slow clap of the witcher.

"I am sure he is dead." The witcher snorts drily. "Since you can obviously use your bow, be a dear and hunt some breakfast.

Sylvyaess glares at him but the witcher glares back hard and doesn't budge.

Sighing loudly she gives up and retrieves her quiver before moving into the woods.

The hunting gives Sylvyaess some much needed peace and quiet to clear her head, nature taking its course around her. Following her senses she shot three rabbits shortly after each other bringing her kills back to the clearing where a small fire burns, the witcher has removed the corpses from the clearing, leaving them for the forest creatures.

He is polishing his silver broadsword in the sun as Sylvyaess sets herself down at the other side of the fire. Her hand moving to her belt for a knife to skin the rabbits. She finds out her belt is empty with a sigh she locks her eyes with the witcher's green ones. He grins and grabs something next to him, the knife he killed the second man with. Twirling it in his hand he presents the hilt to Sylvyaess above the fire.

She grabs the blade and looks it over in the sunlight. _Atleast he cleaned __it_. She thinks starting on her first rabbit ignoring the witcher in front of her. In a few minutes time she is roasting them above the fire.

"Your awfully gratefull for someone who's life got saved you know that." The witcher finally speaks up after a bit.

Sylvyaess looks up unamused and points to her throat, making a soft grating sound.

Realisation hits the withcher and he throws his waterskin at her over the fire.

Thanking him with a nod she empties half the waterskin in one single gulp, small streams of water escaping her lips and trickling along her skin. With a soft sigh she sets the waterskin down and looks up at the witcher who is looking transfixed at her.

"What." Sylvyaess asks nonplussed squinting her eyes at him breaking him out of his gaze.

"Nothing nothing... You just... drink very loudly."

Sylvyaess snorts before turning grave again. "Why did you save me from them? They could have had me. I wouldn't have cared...

Now it's his time to snort before continuing is his deep voice. "If you had said so before I would have left you in the village, but besides the point you said you had a sister right, during the jouney here?"

Sylvyaess nods slowly. Recalling something fuzzy from yesterday.

"Go to her, not everything is lost. People die and life goes on whatever happens." He shrugs, grabbing his steel sword to polish it as well.

"Easy for a witcher to say..." Sylvyaess responds bitterly.

"Even I had a family once!" The witcher snarls, jumping up with his sword in hand.

"Boohoo, parents who traded you like a bargaining chip to some reckless sorcerers." Sylvyaess responds coldly riling the witcher's anger even more.

"Carefull girl." He bites back.

Sylvyaess closes her eyes. Lifting her chin she exposes her pale throat to him. "Come on, make it quick. I don't have all day."

With a heavy sigh the witcher sets himself down again. "They died in a raid... A bear witcher found me and took him with me. My parents never stood a chance..."

Opening her eyes Sylvyaess sees the man stare blankly into the forest. She clears her throat softly. "I am sorry... I could have known there was more to it..."

The witcher locks his green eyes with her. "The past is the past. But thank you for understanding." He gives a wry smile.

In returns she hands him a spit with two rabbits. "You should eat more than me, your twice my bulk."

With a grin he takes the spit and breaks one of the rabbits in two handing it back to Sylvyaess. "Your last meal was a while back you should eat."

She accepts the food, a small tear forms in her eye at the mention of her last meal... With her parents and sister...

"Come on eat, time for contemplating will come later." He gives her a nod.

Quitely Sylvyaess eats her fill, keeping her eyes downward. After a bit she speaks up softly. "Call me Sylvyaess, or Sylvi for short..."

The witcher looks up. "Sylvi ey?"

The sound of his voice saying her nickname sends a shiver down her spine. "Yes... My sisters used to call me that..."

"Well in that case call me Glenn, probaly the only thing I have left of my parents."

"...Hello... Glenn... nice to meet you, while I don't like the circumstances..." Sylvyaess responds.

Glenn snorts. "Likewise."

Finishing their meal they set off again on the road, Sylvyaess dosing off against Glenn's chest. After an hour of riding they come along the remains of a decent sized camp. Another two hours later Glenn nudges Sylvyaess awake and points to the horizon.

Squinting her eyes Sylvyaess spots a large ragtag group of elves with a few horses and carts making their way south to a better place.

Her people.

\--

**Well that was fun to write. Let me know if you enjoyed it or if you have any idea's! I love your guys feedback ;)**

**Illiteracy out.**


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